I know how men in exile feed on dreams of hope.

Aeschylus (525 BC - 456 BC), Agamemnon

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.

Anatole France (1844 - 1924)

Hope is a waking dream.

Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC), from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent¹ Philosophers

Dreams that do come true can be as unsettling as those that don't.

Brett Butler, 'Knee Deep in Paradise'

To want to be what one can be is purpose in life.

Cynthia Ozick, O Magazine, September 2002

He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.

Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001), "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy²"

Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.

Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849), "Eleonora"

The wisest men follow their own direction.

Euripides (484 BC - 406 BC)

Keep true to the dreams of thy youth.

Friedrich von Schiller (1759 - 1805)

You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"

George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950), "Back to Methuselah" (1921), part 1, act 1

Human beings have an inalienable right to invent themselves.

Germaine Greer, O Magazine, September 2002

They say dreams are the windows of the soul--take a peek³ and you can see the inner workings, the nuts and bolts.

Henry Bromel, Northern Exposure, The Big Kiss, 1991

Dreams surely are difficult, confusing, and not everything in them is brought to pass for mankind. For fleeting⁴ dreams have two gates: one is fashioned of horn and one of ivory. Those which pass through the one of sawn ivory are deceptive⁵, bringing tidings which come to nought⁶, but those which issue from the one of polished horn bring true results when a mortal sees them.

Homer (800 BC - 700 BC), The Odyssey⁷

We need men who can dream of things that never were.

John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963), speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963

Dreams come true. Without that possibility, nature would not incite⁸ us to have them.

John Updike (1932 - )

I do not want to die... until I have faithfully made the most of my talent and cultivated the seed that was placed in me until the last small twig⁹ has grown.

Kathe Kollwitz, O Magazine, September 2002

My bounce-around life had taught me that dreams were dangerous things - they look solid in your mind, but you just try to reach for them. It's like gathering¹⁰ clouds.

Kirby Larson, Hattie Big Sky, 2006

There should be fireworks, at least, when a dream dies.

Kirby Larson, Hattie Big Sky, 2006

I think it is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. Since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition. In fact, there are so few people this crazy that I feel like I know them all by first name.

Larry Page, University of Michigan Commencement Address, 2009

You know what it's like to wake up in the middle of the night with a vivid dream? And you know that if you don't have a pencil and pad by the bed, it will be completely gone by the next morning. Sometimes it's important to wake up and stop dreaming. When a really great dream shows up, grab it.

Larry Page, University of Michigan Commencement Address, 2009

You never lose a dream. It just incubates as a hobby.

Larry Page, University of Michigan Commencement Address, 2009

It has never been my object to record my dreams, just to realize them.

Man Ray, O Magazine, September 2002

One must desire something to be alive.

Margaret Deland, O Magazine, September 2002

Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed¹¹: - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968), Speech at Civil Rights March on Washington, August 28, 1963

My dreams were all my own; I accounted for them to nobody; they were my refuge when annoyed - my dearest pleasure when free.

Mary Shelly

I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint¹² - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.

Oprah Winfrey (1954 - ), O Magazine, September 2002

The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance - and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.

Oprah Winfrey (1954 - ), O Magazine, September 2002

The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly¹³ - that is what each of us is here for.

Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

If you stop dreaming, you're just sleeping.

Ralph Green and Gregory Garcia, Raising Hope, Dream Hoarders, October 5, 2010